Currently living in East London and studying FdA Design For Graphic Communication at LCC, part of University of the Arts London.
And this is my blog, a place to share some of my work, experiences, and the work of others that interests me.
@jessicahh
• Stefan Sagmeister
• Kate Moross
• Big Active
• Addiction London
• Daniel Eatock
• Rob Ryan
• David Shrigley
• Ask me anything
JESSICA DAUGHTERS
And this is my blog, a place to share some of my work, experiences, and the work of others that interests me.
@jessicahh
• Stefan Sagmeister
• Kate Moross
• Big Active
• Addiction London
• Daniel Eatock
• Rob Ryan
• David Shrigley
• Ask me anything
JESSICA DAUGHTERS
Currently in the process of designing a number system based on London architecture
Rachel Whiteread
Finding inspiration!
I’ve been having some trouble coming up with different techniques I can use for my major project, and I remembered I went to the Rachel Whiteread: Drawings exhibition at the Tate Britain last year so I’ve used her work to inspire some of my own…
Bookbinding Workshop
On Thursday I had the bookbinding workshop with David which was fun, I did do some bookbinding on my foundation course which looked more at stitching so it was nice to learn some new techniques. The four David showed us were: Saddle Stitch, Stapled, Binding Bolts and Perfect Bound.
And I’m embarrased to say that the only one I messed up was the stapled one! I somehow managed to staple on either side of the spine?!
But the workshop has definitely given me some ideas for my 16 page catalogue!
Year 1 Summary
I can’t believe there’s only two weeks left and I’ve completed my first year at LCC. It feels like only yesterday I was sat in the studio having my interview, so it’s safe to say these past nine months have flown by, and have probably been the best of my life. I’ve met lots of new people, moved to a new city and learned a variety of new skills, but most importantly I’ve gained an insight in to the graphic design industry. The course has mainly taught me to consider audience and message a lot more, which is why I chose the FdA, this was particularly important in the first project graphic design fundamentals and also for the industry set project - mine being for The South London Gallery which got me to think about creating an idea which works as a whole concept along with a budget and brand in mind.
I’ve found that using this blog to post my thoughts, work in progress, and inspiration a really useful platform, as it means I can reflect back on my progress and remember what I’ve achieved. It’s also nice to have a balance between work from the course, along with other things I’ve done whilst living in London.
I’ve noticed that I have definitely blogged a lot more as the course has gone on, because at the start it did take me a while to get in to blogging but now I enjoy it, and since creating my own website as part of PPD I feel much better about the use of my blog, as originally it was used to showcase my work along with everything else, but now that I have a portfolio website which links to my blog, I feel much happier about using it as a personal space to share things, whilst my finished work can be viewed separately.
When it comes to presentation I don’t think I’ve changed that much as I’ve always tried to use high quality and clear images that work with the layout, but I have begun to vary the way in which I upload multiple images so that they don’t take up too much space, and visually I think it looks a lot better and makes the layout more personalised. I’ve also tried to vary the media I upload i.e. videos, scans of drawings, music, PDF’s and photographs so that it’s more interesting to look at.
Best Posts
In terms of my best blog posts I think they’re scattered between projects.
One of my favourites is this one looking at grids at the start of the course, particularly because I really considered the use of cropping and presentation by selecting my best images from the workshop, and I think it’s an example of how photos are stronger than words, as I think when blogging it’s important to find a balance between text and image.
Another one of my favourite posts is this drawing by David Shrigley. I talk about him quite a lot on my blog and so getting to meet him at Rough Trade was a good experience. I then more recently posted about going to see his exhibition at the Hayward Gallery which I really enjoyed.
Looking back at the posts I think it was good to show my progress throughout the projects, especially with industry set brief where I showed my trip to Edinburgh and how that then inspired me for the final outcomes and research.
Inspiration
I’ve tried to post other graphic designers work that inspires me and is also hopefully useful to people that look at my blog, which is why I’ve decided to create separate pages for my favourite designers and illustrators on the left hand side.
I think some of the biggest influences and experiences this year though have been from going to talks by graphic designers and photographers - my favourites being Kate Moross and David Bailey, and also studio visits such as LBi, Work Club, Anomaly, Splendid and Calverts. Looking at how these companies work has really made me want to be part of a creative team rather than do freelance work. Firstly it looks a lot more fun, and secondly it just seems like a much more inspiring and creative environment.
Being in London has also had its other advantages, like having an unlimited choice of exhibitions which I decided to make the most of, such as Postmodernism at the V&A which formed the basis for my first VCT essay, and of course Pick Me Up - the contemporary graphic art fair which takes place once a year showcasing the best new talent.
Having lots of cool design related shops on my doorstep has also been really useful - shops like Magma, Whitechapel Gallery, Nobrow and on the rare occasion zine fairs. This is why I think living in London is the perfect place to be a design student, and especially living just off of the creative hub of Brick Lane where there’s always new street art and pop up exhibitions and events. It’s this constantly being surrounded by creative people which has made me appreciate that sometimes I work better in busy environments like Starbucks or the studios at LCC - It’s made me realise just how important it is to get out of my room to spark creativity, and it’s not often you can go out for a drink and end up chatting to people that work for one of your favourite advertising agencies (Mother).
I’ve also discovered and been recommended lots of useful websites this year which I always go on, such as It’s Nice That, Doing Graphics, Dezeen, Behance and I now realise the importance of having an online presence; but I guess it’s time to finish off the major project, start looking for work experience, and look forward to making the most of my second and final year on the course.
Whilst at the Tate I thought I’d also go to the Kusama exhibition which was really good, I didn’t realise until then just how much variety there is amongst her work - from painting, sculpture, and drawing to collage and her famous large-scale installations. I particularly liked Room 12 ‘I’m Here, but Nothing’ - the room and all its furnishings are covered in fluorescent sticker spots which glow under the dim UV light, and Room 14 ‘Infinity Mirrored Room - Filled with the Brilliance of Life’ which explores her obsession with infinite space.
So I have to admit Damien Hirst isn’t my usual cup of tea, but when asked in an interview ‘what is art?’ he replied something along the lines of ‘what’s in a gallery’ and I admire him for that because in a way he’s right - he’s the most famous British artist of our time and yet we’re still questioning if his work is art, which is the perfect example of how our preconceptions are changing.
The exhibition overall I thought was ridiculously pretentious, but on the other hand, brilliant.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect other than the trademark animals in formaldehyde and the spotty paintings which I previously saw at the Pop Life exhibition at the Tate - two very slightly different paintings with identical twins sat below - the idea of looking the but actually different, and it’s these simple ideas of his which I like the most, because they’re just so striking. But it came to a point where I found myself watching thousands of flies eating a cow’s head surrounded by a puddle of blood that I thought - ok this is taking art too far, but then I guess if anyone has the power to do that then it’s Hirst.
Personal Maps Workshop
‘The oldest map found is believed to be 14,000 years old and is a stone engraving’
I really enjoyed this workshop with Rachel on Tuesday, it made me realise that maps can be used to tell stories rather than just give direction.
For the final 10 outcomes I’m thinking of creating 10 maps of different media, I’m expeciaally interested in the underground map so I’ll see what I can come up with…
The above image is David Shrigley’s interpretation, (one of my favourite illustrators) and was used for the tube map cover in 2005.
Viewpoints: St Paul’s Workshop
So last Tuesday I did Katy’s workshop at St Paul’s which was really interesting, looking at how different people view the landmark.
I took lots of photos and did some sketches which I’m now using to make mini concertina books showing the different viewpoints.
I’m finding it really interesting because I don’t normally consider the different points of view of one place; such as how it looks from a tourist, londoner, or a child’s perspective, and also in terms of political and religious significance.
Colour In The City Workshop
I also did Ben’s colour workshop today, and me & Lauren had to research in to juxtaposition, advancing and receding colours and then do a mini presentation back to the group. We mainly looked at Johannes Itten - the famous designer, painter, teacher, writer and theorist.
In Summary…
Juxtaposition: Two or more contrasting colours which when placed together create a stylistic effect.
Advancing: Advancing colour is a colour that seems to come towards you, for example, red and orange are advancing colours.
Receding: Receding colour does the opposite, it seems to distance itself from you.
